Stellar Hunger
by Zuss
Summary: Hello and welcome to my first fanfiction. Join Mara on her adventure into unknown, stranded in the world alien to her, yet also so similar at the same time. For war and survival dictates that those who adapt carry on, while those who don't are devoured. With no ambient void energies to draw on, her journey shall be full of peril. Features Nidus and MShep&Co. of ME2.


I pull my trigger the moment enemy enters my sights. A gout of plasma exits nozzle of my Plasmor and crashes against Battalyst with fury of the sun, I think. But all it achieves is flaring of enemy shields.

Despairing, I know what shall come next. The gruelling fight in the trenches, but I cannot allow that. There are many support staff entrenched with me on this position, their lives rest on me. So I fly, casting aside my gun and vaulting over our hastily made barricade. The Battalyst is waiting for me, as if laughing, my efforts meaningless. With all might I muster, my Guan-dao meets my quarry in storm of stabs and slashes. I pray, as staff behind me changes their ammo magazines yet again. Hoping, to find right combination to pierce resistances of foe before us. I rain blows to the best of my ability. Yet the enemy ablates my strikes, his dermis makes my blades glance, doing nothing but bloom sparks on his armor.

Explosion rocks my vision as yet another Battalyst descends, right in the middle of our entrenched position. Staff traces their rifles and weaponry on it and loose hell. Yet among a storm of bullets a light explodes. I know that their fate is sealed but I'm too much of a coward to accompany them in last journey...or that's what I say to myself to rationalise...something.

Thin lances of light dance behind our barricade. Flesh is cleaved and cauterised almost instantly. Screams and pleads for mercy echo, unheeded by our enemies. I quickly position myself behind a Battalyst I fought with, beams of light harmlessly flashing against his shields. I don't have any more tears to shed as I have become unfeeling after 4th such barricade. Half cooked flesh is raining down with sickening sound and both Battalysts are turning to face me.

My face distorts as muscle and fleshy filaments brake to make a line on my warframes face. With both rage and fear I scream.

N̸͏̷̢I̵̧̕͠͞D̕͢͠͏͘U̧͞S͠͡͏!̡͘͝!̡͜͠!̶́͝

I feel with carnal euphory as my flesh distorts, protrusions of red pulsing flesh race to feed...on my deceased allies, my charges. The connection is almost instant. I don't understand. The enzymes, saccharides, lipids, live itself is pouring into me. Where is my weapon? I don't know. I raise my arm. Now distorted beyond any sane proportions. Clenching my fist I launch a uppercut. With sickening crunch Battalyst is launched in the air just to meet the ceiling of tunnel where out barricade was made. The other Battalyst faces me now, its arms glowing with accumulated energy. We move at the same time. He launches a blinding beam of light while I become a wave of flesh and spores. We met in middle of barricade, our clash eradicates whatever has been left. I feel as my body burns, cooked flesh hits the metallic floor with wet thud, but I persevere. His energy finally peaks and stops while my wave of infested flesh and nanomachines continue.

With maddened howl I engulf him. His armaments cleave into my flesh just to see those same wounds close almost instantly. Cartilage. Sinews. Muscles contract. Like a arrow loosened from a bow Battalyst flies, crashing into his compatriot still descending from ceiling where my opening strike lodged him into. While they become a disorganised heap I rush them. Claw, thorn and fang meet sentient machines bodies. We are no longer separable. A unholy union of metal and flesh tumbles, grinding each other. The struggle continues as explosions dot the corridors and chambers of our station. The graceful gold and white is marred by red blotches. Defenders screaming in defiance, noncombatants in fright.

Time passes and I rise. First few steps are hard. Bones made from sword-metal are not aligned properly. But then additional muscles bulk up. I feel nanomachines grind hastily assembled bones to right dimensions. I move forward. On my right side is a window of see-through energy screen. It has been so long, why did not enemy seize reactor room yet? Ah, they want to preserve as much as possible to learn more, to evolve more.

I move and in a moment reach next barricade. Which one was it? I don't remember. Armed person is waving at me and I approach. I see them flinch as I close in with all my infested glory. Muscles strain under my stride and glowing juices filled with energy can be seen moving in channels, visible over my devoid of skin body. This is normal. I am failure, a disfigured warframe.

"Mara" says a figure in battle armor. "You have to go". I stop, still confused by adrenaline still coursing in my veins. "But, …" I was interrupted the moment I spoke with a chopping motion of his hand. "You are last Tenno on this station, we know we can't hold them...but you have to get out and bring word to Golden Armada and speak...of our fight and sacrifices." He opens his balled fist and shows data crystal. "This is all that is left of station Cephalon before it had to collapse itself." He puts it gently in my palm and gently closes it. "Go". Then he turns to face the battlement and bellows. "Elemental charges at the ready. I want magnetic, cold and heat charges...scratch it. Whatever you have, load up." Then he faces me again, probably wondering why did I not left. I still don't understand. I have been born Tenno. Martial tradition has been hammered into me. Art of invigilation, asymmetric warfare and blunt carnage been made my comrades. But, I have never felt at peace. Until today I have never considered myself a warrior. I have not even been welcomed by one of the Tenno clans of Origin System. A blank. Unproved one. But that's what I have never wanted. I wanted to delve deep in mysteries of science, to enlarge to horizons of known boundaries. I have been given Nidus to research the Infestation and Helminth strain! To aid my brothers and sisters in the field. Make the stronger! Faster! More resilient! I have hurt Him! My partner, my warframe! Where is Golden Armada!? Where are our Golden Masters!? This is merely research station deep behind our lines! HOW COULD IT HAPPEN!?I never wanted to have my knees deep in enemy viscera...nor to consume my alli...

SMACK!

I jolt back to reality as shock travels my gluteus muscle. I face armored figure again just to see a smirk on his face. " Go girl". The soft voice makes me flinch and ungracefully make few shaking steps forward. Then they break into a jog. Then into run. Then I vault over fallen...something and fly. Behind me I hear roar of gunfire and screams of warriors. Before I reach the end of corridor only silence is behind my back.

I don't know how long I have run but doors to docking bay finally grace me. I know my Liset ought to be there. With a stride I cross the door and...stop.

With sickening crunch I stepped into to dock only to see a sea of corpses. I'm paralysed. The Battalysts one by one rise from among the dead and face me. Their lights turning from milky white to crimson red indicating that enemy has been sighted. Some began to close on me. Some start to charge energies in their blade like appendages. Others continue...to dismantle ships in docking bay? Some close on all too familiar golden and white Liset. I'm starting to lose my sanity, all the little left is leaving me. Draining. I feel endorphin glands pump hormones like it would be my last battle. Adrenal hormones roar in my body as crashing red consumes my mind.

Ḩ̺ͭ̈̚͢E̸̹͌̽͠L̛̮̬̣͌̽͌̌̏͋ͫͥͣP̢̟̉͋̍̋ͣ̑͡!̘̜͈̖̣͉̳ͣͥ̑̎ͭ̃!̡̢̳̮͇ͨ͐̌̌͆̽͗͠!̢̢̬̟̣̰̰̺̮̗͚̈ͤ


End file.
